This was the first day of my 9th grade. I hope this wouldn't be trippy or else it would suck. I'll just hope for the best and get on with this year.

The school's still normal. The students last school year advanced to one year and the freshmen high schoolers are wandering about, trying to find their locker room and classes. I just bee-lined myself over the crowd of students and successfully arrived at my destination.

I got inside my class and looked around. My friends are not to be seen anywhere. Only their bags were there. Shucks, I must've missed them. I was about to move and find an empty seat when a familiar voice rang my ear with surprise.

"Hey! Why are you standing like a mountain there?" the voice playfully demanded.

Oh, it's Sarah. That fool likes to boss around sometimes.

"Nothing! Where is our gang?" I faced her immediately due to surprise.

"They went out."

"Oops! I think I am late today." I scratched my head and Sarah just shrugged.

Our gang had a habit of strolling around the corridors before the morning bell rings. Today, they must have gone without me.

"Excuse me! Did you forget anything?"

"Nope, why?" I looked back and saw Ihsan staring at me, well again.

Oh that heaven of a guy!

I came to my senses and realized that I was still talking to Sarah. And she's standing there the whole time. I blushed suddenly and went to my seat.

Ten minutes was over and my friends still didn't care to come to the class. I thought of going to look for them but our homeroom teacher entered the class. I didn't even hear the bell. I might just be daydreaming and my ears didn't pick up the sound of my surroundings. Gosh! What's happening tome?

The teacher started taking attendance. I started panicking as they were never this late. Where are they?

"Ayesha?" the teacher called out my name for the attendance.

"Present, Ma'am."

"Helga?"

"Ma'am, she went out."

"Laiha?"

"Out."

"What?"

"Sorry! I meant she is out."

"Ahed?"

"He went outside."

"Yasir?"

"He has also gone out ma'am."

"You sure they are out or are they all absent and you are covering up? Where must have they gone this early?"

Man, I'm sure I'm not lying about this.

"I don't know ma'am. Their bags are all here. So they must have gone somewhere."

She just hummed.

She finished taking the attendance and started marking attendance on the smart-board. Still, they didn't come.

"Hey Tess, Do you know where they went?" I asked my seatmate.

"Nope. They were hurrying to go somewhere. They went as soon as Ahed came in."

"What? They never bothered to wait for me." I felt a little bit sadness and loneliness inside of me.

***

The bell rang and I started heading towards my art class. My friends and I have almost every class together except for one – ART. We have Miss Kim, and the boys and Laiha have Miss Rachel. Miss Kim is said to be new this year so I am not sure if she will be a devil or an angel.

Despite that, Ihsan had the same art class as mine. It would be an hour of bliss and I'm too blessed for that. But after art, we would go on our separate ways and class. We almost had different classes, so it's understandable.

I sat in a corner and placed my bag in a seat next to me for Helga. Miss Kim was late. At last, after a long twenty minutes, Miss Kim arrived. And after her was Helga.

Why is time so bizarre? Waiting for my friend for mere twenty minutes felt as though it was like five hours, but when I was with them for almost half a day felt like that was just a mere fraction of a minute? I don't get time sometimes.

Well, Helga's here and she came to the class that's the same as mine.

"You must sit, Helga." I took my bag off and she sat beside me. "Where were you till now?"

"Long story." She simply replied.

"Class 9. Pay attention." Miss Kim boomed at the class.